Blog

With a camera slung over my shoulder, I hit the streets of Lisbon one January morning to see what I might discover. In this article I detail the things that stood out to me the most that day. And as I went on to discover, it wasn't the famous sites or the top visited attractions that yearned for my attention the most - It was the simple rhythm of life taking part on Lisbon's hidden back streets, telling a story at every corner.

When I discovered that an overnight ferry could take me to the heart of France's Brittany region, I knew that I had to do it. Being a city known for its port, I was interested to see what Saint-Malo offered beyond this, and I'm pleased to say that the answer was a lot more! Read on to hear and see my impressions of 12 hours' worth of wandering around this city!

In this article I reflect on a long weekend in Tallinn, Estonia. I'll explore some highlights which stood out on what was a fabulous weekend spent in one of Northern Europe's prettiest cities. And, who knows, it might just provide you with some inspiration to plan a visit!

It was the kind of flight home where you spend the whole time debating the merits of moving to the city you've just visited. Thinking up career options, seeing yourself in a new apartment, persuading yourself that the finances could work.

I braked, hard. The contents of the shopping bag throwing themselves to the floor. Baguettes, cheese, saucissons, and a selection of local vegetables - all now splayed haphazardly at the foot of the passenger seat.

This wasn’t for a red light, though, nor for a slow tractor crawling up a steep incline. It was for a calloused hand outstretched in the universal symbol for ‘stop’! I watched on as the gentleman before me sent out a barrage of whistles, before waving his hands frantically, in the universal gesture for ‘let’s go’!

This time last year I was spending a few days exploring Vancouver, before meeting up with a friend to start our road-trip south on the Pacific Coast Highway headed for Los Angeles. I’ve been thinking about that time a lot recently. I could have started writing something on that trip as soon as the plane touched down on that grey London morning, but a year’s worth of hindsight is a useful thing. I’ve had a year to digest that experience and those memories. A year to think about the lessons I learnt and the ways in which that journey shaped me as only travel and new experiences often can. Here’s what came out of 2000 miles and near on 2000 cups of coffee…